


To Boldly Yeet

by woooyifan



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Trek Fusion, Betazoid, Interspecies Relationship(s), Multi, Orion, Outer Space, Star Trek References, Tribbles (Star Trek), Vulcan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-11-28 13:08:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20967065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/woooyifan/pseuds/woooyifan
Summary: I WILL NOT change the title.Ensign Mark Lee, one of the youngest pilots to ever graduate Star Fleet Academy is living his best life. Until the replacement navigator throws him for a loop. Grogeous, funny, smart and a little silly, Ensign Huang Xuxi turns Mark's life on the USS Empathy upside down.Xuxi on the other hand, wants to know exactly what about Mark Lee is so alluring.So join us, as we explore the voyages of the Starship Empathy and her crew, as we bodly yeet, where no one has yeeted before.





	1. First Encounter

"Ensign Lee, let's prepare to depart from the docking station." 

Mark nods, typing in a few commands on his control screen.

"Navigator approval required. Please consult the navigation officer." 

Mark turns his head, surprised to find that the navigation officer, Im Changkyun was indeed, not present.  
"Captain Lee, Lieutenant Commander Im isn't present." 

Taeyong looked up from his PADD to see that yes, his senior navigation officer wasn't present. A quick search on his PADD revealed that the liutenant commander had not even checked in for the mission. 

"Command Officer Moon, please contact Lieutenant Commander Im and have him report to the bridge immediately." Taeyong asked, searching the pile of unopened mesages on his PADD for some notification on the missing commander.

"On it, Captain." Taeil says, contacting the lieutanant commander's personal device.

At that moment the elevator to the bridge opened with a hydraulic wooshing noise. 

"Sorry I'm late! Hoverbike issues. Permission to board Captain?" 

Mark turned to look at the commotion, nearly knocked breathless by the sight of the man before him. Tall, blinding smile, impossibly dark eyes, and did command gold look that good on literally anyone else?  
Donghyuk, the devil of a friend that he is, turns on his PADD camera to capture this moment for posterity. Because Mark is too focused on the gorgeous man standing on the edge of the bridge smiling shyly to hear the conversation that his superiors are having.

"And who are you?" 

"Cadet- oops Ensign Huang, navigations officer, reporting for duty!" 

The new guy smiles wider, if that's even possible. 

"This is Lieutenant Commander Im's temporary replacement, Ensign Huang Xuxi." Taeil, the first officer explains, showing Taeyong the ensign's profile.  
"Lientenant Commander Im alerted you that he had contracted acute food poisoning from a bad batch of Romulan ale and the Academy would provide a substitute. Please check you inbox." 

"I do!" 

Taeil nods but walks off. Taeyong looks confused, but turns back to the ensign still standing on the edge of the room like an over excited puppy.

"Oh uh yeah, permission to board."

"Thanks Cap'n! So, where're we going today?" Xuxi asks, crossing the bridge in three steps. He sits down, giving his chair a quick spin. 

"We're backing up a ground team doing research on a Class M planet near the Tholian system, Delos IV." Taeyong informed.

"Ooh, cool!" Xuxi comments as he begins laying his course into the ships navigation system. 

The beeping from his console is what finally snaps Mark out of his stupor. He finishes preparations to disengage from the space station while trying not to glance at the new navigator out of the corner of his eyes. Star Fleet would not be happy if he crashed both the ship and the station because he was too side tracked by his new pretty co-worker. 

"Hey, I'm Xuxi! You're my pilot right?" And suddenly Mark is looking directly into those solid black eyes and that pretty smile is pointed directly at him, and is the oxygen recycler working because it feels like it isn't.

"Uh,yeah, yep that's me. I drive the boat. Actually, the ship but you get the idea." Mark chuckled nervously. 

Xuxi laughed, clapping Mark on the shoulder. Something flickers across Xuxi's face, too fast for Mark to catch. 

"Don't be so nervous, I won't put you in front of any asteroid belts or anything." Xuxi says, smile not faltering.

"Nervous? Haha, who said I was-" Mark looks harder at Xuxi and gasps.

"You're a betazoid." 

Xuxi laughs at that, nodding enthusiastically.  
"Yeah, 100%. But I didn't need to be an empath to tell you're nervous. I won't steer you wrong. Don't worry, I'm the best the Academy's got." Xuxi says, becoming serious for the first time since entering the bridge. 

Mark is finding it particularly hard to swallow. Donghyuk is about to die from trying to hold in his laughter. This is going to be a fun mission.

"Alright, Ensign Lee, let's get it." 

"Yes, Captain." Mark nearly yells, snapping out of the trace of Huang Xuxi for the second time.

Mark removes the stabilizers and pushes the throttle forward. The warp core accelerates, and then dies. He tries again, receiving the same results.

"Mark?"  
Mark stares at his pre-flight checklist, ensuring that everything's been ticked off.

"I'm not sure what the problem is, Captain, maybe call Lieutenant Nakamoto?" Mark is trying to hold down his mild panic because oh my god did he just break the USS Empathy? 

"Have you turned off the initial inertia dampeners?" Yuta pipes up through the comms. 

Mark sighs. The one step not listed on his checklist because he always remembers. Admiral Sulu would be disappointed if he'd been around to hear that. He hits a few buttons on his console and sighs again. He hears Xuxi chuckle a bit to his right. Great, Mark thinks. Now he thinks I'm an idiot.

"Ready to depart Captain."  
"Punch it." 

Mark hits the throttle again and the warp core accelerates, cannonballing them into space with a lurch.

The comm buzzes again, this time its Kun checking in from the medical deck.  
"You tell Ensign Lee to be careful if he wants to get his vaccines for Delos IV."  
"Sorry, Commander, it won't happen again." Mark buzzes back. Shit.  
"Communications Officer Lee, please open up a ship-wide link."  
"Yes, Captain."  
"And now a message from our Captain, Lee Taeyong." Donghyuk announces before handind the link over to Taeyong.

"Good afternoon crew. We are currently en route to assist the USS Carat on its mission in documentation of the class M planet known as Delos IV. We will be assisting in cataloguing flora and fauna, as well as the geographic feature of the planet. Select members of both crews may be called upon at any time to assist with Federation negotiations with the Delosians. You are reminded that all actions reflect against the Ferderation as well as Star Fleet. Anyhow, this should be a simple and easy trip, so don't cause any uneccesary trouble."  
Taeyong signs off and there's silence on the bridge for all of two seconds. 

"Yongie! Why didn't you tell me we got a new navigator?" 

Its Commander Seo, striding onto the bridge with an affronted air. As he passes Dunghyuck and gives him a fist bump.  
"Thanks for that video, amazing blackmail potential." He whispers and rolls up to Xuxi.

"That's because he didn't know we had a new navigator. Meet Ensign Huang." Taeil says, gesturing to the newbie.

"Hey, I'm Commander Johnathan Seo, but everyone calls me Johnny. I'm the chief security officer aboard the Empathy." Johnny holds out his hand to shake, and Xuxi accepts it with a smile.

Just focus on driving the ship, Mark. Pay no attention to the pretty Betazoid in your periphery.

"I almost went the security track myself, but navigation was what I was really interested in." Xuxi explains.

Johnny's eyebrows shoot up.  
"We'll have to spar sometime! I actually need to talk with First Officer Moon, but good to meet you!" Johnny says, slipping away and grabbing the First Officer on his way out.

Xuxi returns his attention to the console on front of him. Or at least he pretends to, as he's hyperaware of the pilot sitting next to him. He's not sure what it is about Ensign Mark Lee, but something is telling him he's important. Any timre their hands accidentally touch on the console he feels something spark up at the contact, and he's not sure what it is. Yet.


	2. The Tholian Reveal

The route to Delos IV is long and not,at all exciting which is a good thing for Mark. Three hours into the trip, Taeyong and Taeil start making preparations for the landing party to go planetside.

"Alpha crew, please report to med bay for medical briefing and immunizations." Kun buzzes over the comms.

  
Mark slides out of his chair and follows the rest of the senior officers that will be part of the landing party. Donghyuck hurries to catch up and loop his arm through Mark's, throwing him some suggestive eyebrows.

  
"Sooo, new navigator, how are things going?" Donghycuk presses, voice innocent but words loaded.

  
"He's nice, good at his job. He didn't accidentally arm the torpedos like Changkyun did on his first day." Mark says, avoiding the hidden question in Donghyuck's words.

  
"He's hot too, don't you think?" Donghyuck points out.

  
Mark chokes on air and his eyes widen comically. Donghyuck snorts at his friend and shakes his head.

  
"I'll take the general gay panic as a yes."

  
"Maybe he's like, really attractive, but if you've noticed I have a job to do, I can't just oogle at the new guy's biceps."

  
"So you like his biceps?"

  
"Hyuck!"

  
Donghyuck laughs again and slips away to get his vaccines. Xuxi seems to be wandering around the med bay awkwardly and gravitates back to Mark.

  
"You already done?" Mark questions when he realizes Xuxi's awkward air.

  
"Nah, they loaded me up before I went up to the station. I didn't have that many to do." He replies, lookimg around for something to busy himself with.

  
Mark's eyebrows shot up as a junior medical officer leads him to an examination table. Xuxi follows, unsure of what else he could be doing.

  
"Betazoids a little more resistant?" Mark asks as the med tech rolls up his sleeve and starts administering hyposprays.

Mark winces at the pricks, nose scrunching up cutely. Xuxi chuckled at the cute reaction and shook his head.

  
"Nah I visted Delos IV a few times as a kid." Xuxi explains, watching the med tech continue his work.

  
"Really? What for?" Mark is intriuged.

He's never been farther than New Vulcan, let alone as far as Delos IV. Especially with them being such recent additions to the Federation.  
Xuxi shrugged, picking up a spare hypospray and tossing it around.

  
"Just family stuff. Kinda like getting to go with your parents on a business trip." Xuxi answered nonchalantly as if it wasn't a big deal.

  
Mark nodded. Maybe his family were merchants? It would explain travelling as far as Tholian space and his interest in navigation.However, he didn't get a chance to ask because at that moment a green and red blur barreled through the med bay.

  
"Sichengie!" The blur attaches itself to Commander Sicheng, who didn't even flinch under the sudden weight of the chief engineer.

  
"Lieutenant Nakamoto, I've asked you to keep the petnames in private." Sicheng admonishes but raises his fingers to intertwine them with Yuta's for a moment.

  
Xuxi's eyebrows jump as he watches the exchange.

  
"Lieutenant Sicheng is Vulcan?"

  
Mark snorts.  
"Like 1/4 on his mom's side. He grew up on Earth."  
Xuxi nods, watching the nurse and his green skinned companion interact.

  
"And the Orion?" Xuxi questions.

  
"The Orion, is Lieutenant Nakamoto Yuta, chief engineer of the USS Empathy. Who's the Betazoid?" Yuta shoots back, coming over to introduce himself.

  
Xuxi stands straighter and nods at Yuta as he approaches.  
"Ensign Huang Xuxi, I'm the replacement navigator. Nice to meet you."

  
Xuxi holds out his hand for Yuta to shake but the Orion pulls him into a hug instead.

  
"Chill out kid, I'm just messing with you. Good job on youre first day, you didn't fire a photon laser into Klingon space first thing so you're above par right now."

  
Xuxi's eyes widen as he takes in the words.

  
"Thank yo- wait what?"

  
"Marky! Have you introduced your seatmate to the rest of the senior crew yet?" Yuta says, quickly changing the topic.

  
"Not really." Mark confesses, and Yuta tugs on a piece of his hair as a punishment.

  
"Shame on you! Everyone's here now, give him the walk around." Yuta says, pushing him back towards Mark.

  
The med tech moves on, finished with Mark's immunizations. Mark let's Xuxi rest a comfortable arm around his shoulder as he points out the senior staff.

  
"So, that's Kun over there with Taeyong, he's the chief medical officer, Sicheng is his second in command. Jaehyun and Doyoung over by the doors are the lead science officers. Ten's our cultural expert, and you've met Johnny and Taeil. Oh, here's Jungwoo, he's our weapons specialist and finally, Donghyuck, our head communications officer. And, my best friend." Mark introduces.

  
Donghyuck waves from his med table, wincing after another hypospray is administered.

  
"Mark thinks you're hot!" He screeches, never passing up a chance to embarrass his friend.

  
Mark gapes and face palms and Xuxi chuckles at his reaction. Donghyuck seems interesting.

  
"Haha Donghyuck, what? It's totally not like that! I mean yes, you're objectively gorgeous and everything but its not like-" Mark starts babbling but is interrupted by Xuxi laughing.

  
He has a really nice laugh, Mark thinks.

  
"Chill out Mark. I get what you mean. You're not too hard on the eyes yourself." Xuxi compliments with a wink.

  
Mark blushes, more embarrassed than anything else, the tips of his ears turning scarlet. Thsnkfully, he's saved by having to respond by Kun beginning hid medical debrief.

  
"Ok listen up kids! Delos IV is a class M planet. While habital to most species of the Federation, some will have issues. Delos IV is rather cold, so those that are especially susceptible to colder weather, I suggest taking extra precautions. Please remember to scan your foods for poison or allergy compaounds you may not be familiar with. I'd like to remind everyone to carry an EPI spray with them at all times.  
And finally, we have confirmed the presence of several common plants on Delos IV that contain MDM-Alpha2B. All members pf the ground team must submit and emergency contact in case of exposure to MDM-Alpha2B before going planet side. Any questions?" Kun announces, his voice bringing order back into the over crowded med bay.

  
"Yeah, can I put you down as my emergency contact?" Ten, the cultural expert shouts from somewhere amongst the crowd.

  
Xuxi is distracted from this exchange by a med tech coming up to him with a PADD asking him to fill out the emergency contact form. He doesn't really know anyone on board that well but Mark is his pilot, so he probably wouldn't mind him putting his name down.

  
"Lieutenant, I will give you Ccyrian fleas and lock you in quaritine for the entirety of this mission." Kun deadpans but Ten just cackles.

  
Xuxi hands the PADD back to the tech with a shy smile and the tech's eyes widen when he sees the name. However, he just shrugs and walks off.

  
"Alright, let's get you all down to the transport pads. Alpha crew move out!" Taeyong shouts, effectively clearing the medbay.

  
To Mark's left, Xuxi is starting to shake, eyes darting around nervously. Mark looks up at him (wow he's tall) and settles a hand on his arm.

  
"Are you okay?"

  
Xuxi's head snaps down to look at Mark, and he's nibbling on his lip like he's scared.

  
"Yeah, its fine I've just never, uhm...." Xuxi starts, but his voice peters out.

  
"You've never beamed down before? Didn't you say you travelled a lot as a kid?" Mark asked.

  
"Yeah, we always took a transporter or landed planet side. They said it was safer."

  
Mark wrinkles his nose in confusion. Safer? Most merchants will beam down on the same pad with their supplies. Weird.

  
"Well, you have nothing to worry about! Beaming is totally safe. It feels weird and all, but nothing bad." Mark says in an attempt to comfort him.

  
"Look, you can hold my hand, and I'll go with you." Mark offers and Xuxi quickly intertwines their fingers.

  
He takes a deep breathe and looks at Mark.

  
"Thank you."

  
The look in Xuxi's eyes is serious again, suddenly deeper than any ocean Mark's ever seen. He looks away, ears burning again, finding it too burdensome to stare for much longer.

They step onto the transport pad and with a swirl of photons, they're on the surface of Delos IV.

Xuxi is giggling because that tickled, and Mark was right, nothing to be nervous about.  
Delos IV is like Xuxi remembered it, colored mostly in purples and blues. It's chillier than it is on the Empathy, but not unbearable. The 'sun' is blue, but rather far off, lighting the world with a soft white blue tint. The palace walls are still a soft magenta color of hewn rock, though now it seems the interior decorator has decided floating light orb chandeliers are the way to go.

  
"Come on, we need to catch up with the rest of Alpha crew." Mark says, tugging on their linked hands.

Xuxi trips after him with a large smile on his face.  
Mark is openly oogling at the new scenery even as he walks. It reminds him of a rainforest, maybe if they were all purple and blue. Its raining softly outside. Through an open window he watches a frog-like monkey(Or maybe a monkey-like frog?)hop from leaf to leaf. The sun casts a weird hue onto his skin, making him look almost like an Andorian.

  
They catch up with the other senior officers outside of the throne room for the Delosian royal family. The doors are made of a deep purple spongy looking wood that Mark has an overwhelming urge to touch.

  
Donghyuck sends a pointed look at Mark and Xuxi's intertwined hands, making Mark drop Xuxi's hand as if it were a hot coal. Donghyuck snickers but turns back around at Taeyong's bequest.

  
"Okay, the Carat team is already inside. We'll do some introductions and gift giving, and you'll be free once that's over. Donghycuk you'll stick with me and Taeil. Everyone, universal translators on please." Taeyong says.

  
Then the large doors are pushed open and they walk into the throne room.

Mark's first thought is that Delosians are tall. Very tall indeed. Humanoid, if humans were 8ft tall. And had orange skin. And tusks. The queen regent, as Mark had been informed, sat on the main throne, surrounded by heavy fur coats that shimmered with the light. Her three childern sat beside her, and most others in attendence sat on pillows.

He remembers to keep his eyes turned away from the faces of the royal family in deference, as does most of their party. Except for Xuxi, he notices. He keeps his head even and makes eye contact with the queen's children. Mark can see the tensions rise on the StarFleet side of the delegation and he tugs on Xuxi's sleeve to try and get him to be respectful before he gets his cute head cut off on his first mission or something. What a tragedy that would be.

  
The Empathy crew bows and the queen nods her head in acceptance, so perhaps she's not bothered but Xuxi's cluelessness.They take their seats next to the crew of the Carat, on pillowsbto the left of the throne. To the right side sits, what Mark assumes to be the Delosian nobility.

  
Suddenly the queen speaks, the language of her planet like low singing trills. Her arms are spread wide, and if Mark dared to look at her face, he would see a smile. Xuxi laughs, actually laughs and approaches the queen answering in the same melodious language.

  
Then Mark's universal translator catches up.

  
"Little prince! How nice of you to visit! Come closer, let me look at you."

  
He chances a glance up at Xuxi, who after receiving permission to approach the throne walks up the steps and is enveloped in a hug from the queen regent.

  
"Your majesty, it has been so long! The litte ones are much taller than me now!" Xuxi jokes, as if the queen is an old friend.

  
She laughs, thumping him on the back.  
"Ah, you joke! I'm sure they still look up to you."

  
The younger royals laugh at that, considering all of them are at least 7 feet tall. Xuxi laughs taking the queen's hand in both of his.

  
"My queen, your consort, the king, has he-?" Xuxi asks gently.

  
The queen pats Xuxi's hands in her own, a sad look crossing her face.

  
"Yes, he passed. It has been some time now. Oh, he would have loved to see you again."  
Xuxi smiles sadly.

  
"If you would permit it, I will visit his memorial so that he may see me again."

  
The queen nods, and calls a servant forward.  
"Please bring him a proper chair, it isn't right for him to sit on the floor.  
Xuxi stops the servant and bows his head respectively to the queen.

  
"Your majesty, thank you, but I am here as part of the delegation for the Federation. It would be wrong for me to sit above my superior officers."  
The queen nods in understanding and gestures for Xuxi to return to his seat.

  
"What a level-headed child. We have sidetracked this meeting long enough, we can catch up after negotiations. Tonight, there will be a feast. We have a guest to honor!"

  
The entire hall applauds as Xuxi returns to his seat, much to the shock of his senior crew memebers. Mark gapes at him in awe as the two StarFleet captains begin to open up negotiations.  
Donghyuck nudges him on the knee, snapping Mark out of his stupor.

  
"A prince? Mark, I have to say, you've fot good taste in men." He comments before going to help ensure that Taeyong and Seungcheol say the right words.


	3. The Delosian Engagement

After the introductions, in the throne room, Mark doesn't get to see much of Xuxi. They add him to the delegation at the queen's insistence, so the pilot and navigator are separated for most of their time on Delos IV.   
Mark catches a drink with Xuxi at the feast in his honor, and they occasionally cross paths when either of them beam back up to the Empathy, but outside of those rare moments, their orbits don't eclipse.

  
Mark doesn't notice it that much, but he definitely notices it more than what would be considered normal. He finds himself zoning out during field missions with the science team, or when receiving cultural lessons from the Delosians themselves, wondering what,Xuxi is up to at that time.  
Xuxi finds himself in a very similar way, often catching himself searching for Mark using his telepathy. The queen notices, asking Xuxi about it during lunch one day, deep in the negotiations.

  
"My child, you seem distracted. What bothers you?" She asks, concerned for the young betazoid.

  
Xuxi attempts to laugh it off, but she doesn't seem very intent on letting the issue go.

  
"There's a memeber of my crew, my pilot. There's something about him that I can't quite place. But I can tell he's important." Xuxi confesses.

  
The queen nods her understanding.  
"How do you feel around him?" She asks.

Xuxi blushes and shrugs."I-I'm not sure yet, your majesty. I only just met him on our way here, and I haven't really had a chance to see him since we started negotiations."

"Well then why didn't you say so? After we finish here, go find him. I'll explain to your captain where you went." She says and Xuxi bows his head in thanks.

  
As soon as he finishes eating, he excuses himself to search out his pilot. It's not hard, finding his consciousness easily amongst the others in the palace. Xuxi finds him with a group of musicams and dancers, sitting in on a practice. They've convinced him to join them, and Mark is shy, ears burning red even as he works to follow the dancers' footsteps. But Xuxi can feel his determination to learn and execute the dance correctly, and his heart softens a little.

  
Xuxi doesn't approach but just watches at a distance, admiring. That is until a dancer notices him, and pulls him into the circle to dance with Mark. Now, Xuxi is the one that's embarrassed, and Mark doesn't have to be an empath to know that.

  
"I haven't seen you much since we went planet side." Mark comments.

  
"Sorry, the queen has been occupying my time." Xuxi explains.

  
"Understandable, Mr. Betazoid Prince." Mark teases.

  
Xuxi snorts, spinning Mark around.

  
"Not really. There isn't a better translation in Delosian, but I'm not a prince. Is my family rich? Yes. Are we rather influential in politics and scoial circles? Yes. But I'm not royalty." Xuxi says, and Mark nods in understanding.

  
"So, Mr. Definitely Not a Prince. What are you up to tonight?" Mark questions.

  
"I'm goimg back to the ship tonight. My classmates all graduate today so I'm going to holocall in." Xuxi says.

  
"Oh. You're missing graduation because of this mission." Mark says, sounding sad.

  
Xuxi shrugs. Neither he nor Mark notice that the dancers and musicians have gone, leaving Mark and Xuxi swaying back and forth to no music at all.

  
"It's fine, as long as it's for something like this."   
Mark still thinks that's kind of sad.

  
"Oh, by the way, I put you down as my MDM-Alpha2B emergency contact. I hope that's okay with you." Xuxi says, trying to move the conversation somewhere else.

  
Mark stumbles, nearly falling over. Xuxi catches him around the waist, bringing their motion to a stop. Xuxi is starting to think he might understand exactly what kind of important Mark is to him.

  
"Xuxi, do you know what MDM-Alpha2B is?" Mark asks, throat suddenly bone dry and cheeks flaming warm even with the general chill of Delos IV in the air.

  
"Yeah, it's a mind altering plant matter isn't it?" Xuxi says.  
"I mean, yes in technicality. But in informal language, MDM-Alpha2B.... is sex pollen." Mark explains.

  
Xuxi freezes and looks down at Mark in shock.

  
"You're kidding right?" Xuxi questions, even though he knows Mark is definitely not kidding.

  
"No, it uhhh... it lowers your inhibitions and increases libido. It most cases it causes a fever that can only be broken by uh.. well, having sex. The Enterprise crew nicknamed it the 'fuck or die' response." Mark elaborates and Xuxi gets a flash of some very graphic images from but his and Mark's minds.

Oh.

  
"So basically, I signed a form saying if I'm ever in a life or death sexual situation, I want you to handle it?" Xuxi ask, just for confirmation.

  
"Uh, yeah effectively." Mark says.

Xuxi didn't know humans could turn that dark a shade of red.More mental images of both of them in compromising positions, okay, time to turn off the telepathy. 

"Shit, I should've asked you first." Xuxi apologizes but Mark shakes his head.

  
"It's fine. We all had to fill one out. Thry would have asked me to sign off before we did anything anyway, so it's not like I wouldn't have had a choice if the opportunity arose." Mark soothes, not wanting Xuxi to freak out.

Honestly, its not s huge deal. (Its kind of a huge deal.)

  
"So who's your emergency contact?" Xuxi asks Mark to his surprise.  
"It's Jaehyun."   
Xuxi nods, processing that.

  
"But if you're okay with it... I could change it to you? I mean, it just makes more sense to match." Mark says it nonchalantly, but he's freaking out on the inside.

  
"Are you sure?" Xuxi asks.

  
"Can't you read my mind and tell for yourself?" Mark mumbles.

  
"I'd prefer if you told me yourself." Xuxi says, smiling lopsided.

  
"I'm sure."

"Xuxi! How nice of you to call!" Xuxi's mom answers the PADD when he holocalls his parents two days later.

  
"Hey, Mom! Is dad there?" He asks, looking aorund for his father.

  
"Of course! Dear, come here, Xuxi called us!" His mom calls and his dad coming into frame.

  
"Xuxi, what a nice surprise. How's Delos IV?" His dad asks, jovial.

  
"Just like I remember it. Mostly. Did you know the queen's consort died?" Xuxi asked.

  
"Oh no, that's terrible! How's the queen holding up?" His mother questioned.

  
"She seems fine. She assures me it happened some time ago and that he passed peacfully. I offered your condolences and visited his memorial on behalf of our family." Xuxi explained and his parents nodded.

  
"Thank you. We really should get out there to visit her one of these days." His mom murmurs.

  
"How's Yorktown?" Xuxi asks, changing the subject.

  
"Yorktown's great. But Xuxi, I know you didn't call us just to update us on the stautus of the Delosian royal family. What's up?" His mom asks.

  
Always so keen, it was as if her empathy worked even through holocalls. Xuxi still wasn't fully convinced that it didn't.

  
"Mom, Dad. I think I found him." He says, smiling brightly despite the tears in his eyes. Why is he crying suddenly?

  
"Really? Who is it? A Delosian?" His dad asks and Xuxi laughs wetly.

  
"No, a human. My pilot. Mark Lee." Xuxi replies.

  
"And you're sure?" His mom pushes.

  
"I'm sure mom. It's him. It took me a while to be sure, but it's him." Xuxi says.

  
"Oh, that's wonderful Xuxi. Have you told him?" She asks.

  
"Not yet but I will. Soon."

Sadly, Xuxi gets swept up in the negotiations again the next day, and talking to Mark become nigh to impossible. Even on their way back to Earth once the mission has ended, they're too busy avoiding the Tholian dimesional web to talk about important things.

  
Back on Earth, Xuxi returns to the Academy to finish up his final assignments. He doesn't even get a chance to see Mark again for nearly three weeks.

  
Xuxi is suprised when Lee Taeyong shows up in person on the day he is set to effectively gradute from StarFleet Academy.

  
"C'mon, the crew got something for you. A bit of a graduation present."

  
Xuxi follows Taeyong across campus to the main auditorium where the senior crew of the Empathy is waiting, along with his friends that already graduated.

  
"What's going on?" Xuxi asks, trying not to cry. There's a lot of emotion in this room and it's not just his alone.

  
"Well, we heard you missed ypu graduation." Yuta started.

  
"And we also wanted to thank you for all your help with the Delos IV mission." Taeil continued.

  
"And Luientenant Commander Im put in transfer papers, so...." Johnny picks up.

  
"This is effectively a graduation/thank you/please join our crew party." Kun finishes.

  
"So,what do you say Xuxi? Will you join our family?" Mark asks, offering Xuxi a jewelry box.

  
Xuxi stares blankly at the box for way to long to be appropriate before gently taking it from Mark's hands.

  
"I got it back when we were on Delos IV, it made me think of you." Mark tried to.explain away the gift but there was no explaining this away.

  
Xuxi opened it, and sure enough, inside that blue-green wooden box sat a bracelet. It was plain and made of some rock that resembled jade, if jade were a soft purple with white streaks.

  
Xuxi was NOT going to cry, except he already was.

  
"Donghyuck, isn't a bracelet an engagement gift in Betazoid traditions?" Ten asked the communications officer.

  
The whole crew watched as Mark slide the bracelet onto Xuxi's wrist for him.

  
"Yes, yes it is." Donghyuck replies.

  
"So, Mark and Xuxi are effectively engaged?"

  
"And Mark is effectively an idiot."


	4. Not Who They Seem

“Ensign Huang, chart a course for the Melona system. Ensign Lee, warp factor four. Let’s get it. Donghyuck, get me a ship-wide comms line.” Taeyong says, walking onto the bridge with a sense of urgency. 

The crew USS Empathy was having it’s shore leave cut short by a distress signal from the Orion system, near the edge of Klingon space. As one of the only Federation vessels equipped for a rescue mission, it was up to Taeyong and his crew to respond. The distress signal confirmed that a Federation excursion vessel had come under fire by a Klingon warbird near Orion. As the excursion ship was small and relatively unarmed, they had surrendered and been taken hostage by the Klingons. Taeyong explained this over the ship-wide comms as they hurtled through space to the aid of their fellow explorers. He closed the comms link and began relaying orders to the senior crew.

“Donghyuck, scan for any other correspondences in the region. Klingon, standard, whatever you can find. Everyone in battle stations. Xuxi get our weapons online and shields up. Mark, prepare for evasive maneuvers. If negotiations go south I want us to be able to get out of here ASAP.” He buzzes the private senior officer comms, calling everyone up to the bridge. 

“Dropping from warp in T-20, Captain.” Mark informed.

“Good. Donghyuck get me a link over to the ship.” Taeyong said, walking around to stand in front of the deck window. 

When Mark dropped the Empathy out of warp, he has to avoid the debris of the destroyed excursion vessel. Xuxi is fast enough to chart him a course that avoids a majority of the wreckage. 

“Captain, they’re hailing us.” Donghyuck announces as the remaining senior crew enters the bridge.

“Patch me through.”

“All yours.”

“This is Captain Lee Taeyong of the USS Empathy. You have taken the crew of an excursion vessel hostage from Federation space. This is a blatant breach of the treaty between the Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire.” Taeyong said. 

There was silence and then a staticky response in Klingon. But instead of the universal translators picking up and translating for the crew, they all received the same automated voice saying “Sorry. I am unable to translate, please repeat.”

“What the fuck? Is now really the time for these to malfunction?” Kun asked, calling Yuta over so they could assess the problems with the translators. 

“Donghyuck, did you get that?” Taeyong asked, turning to the communications officer. 

“Yeah sort of. Sounds like, ‘We stand apart from the Federation. You have something which belongs to us.’ That’s what makes the most sense at least.” Donghyuck replies, replaying the audio to be sure.

“Makes the most sense?” Johnny asks.

“The accent is weird and the grammar is atrocious. It’s not any dialect of Klingon I recognize. In fact it sounds like the standard. Maybe if a child were speaking.” Donghyuck elaborates.

“So what are you saying?” 

“I’m saying that whoever is on that ship, they’re not Klingon.” 

Taeyong sighs, placing his hands on his his as he paced around the bridge. 

“Hail them again. Let’s play along.” He decides.

Taeyong uses his translator to reply in Klingon, not letting whoever has the excursion crew know that they were on to them.

“I understand. What is it that we have that you want?” He asks. 

It’s a couple of pregnant moments before they get a reply. They don’t need the translator to know what the answer is.

“Nakamoto Yuta.” 

Yuta’s head snaps up and he takes over, talking directly to the kidnappers.

“What do you mean Nakamoto Yuta? Who are you?” He demanded. 

“You know exactly who we are.” This reply wasn’t in broken Klingon, but in fluent Orion.

Mark watches as the color drains out of his face (well…. Most of the color) and he starts shaking. He looks at Sicheng with nothing but fear in his eyes. 

“You have 30 minutues to decide. Choose wisely.” The comms link was severed after that and the bridge was silent. 

“S-Sichengie… how did they find me?” Yuta was crying and shaking, crossing the bridge to fall into his boyfriend’s arms.

“ It is all right. They will not have you. Taeyong will not allow it.” Sicheng comforted the chief engineer, but his look at Taeyong implored him to do something.

“Sicheng, take Yuta down to his room and calm him down. We’re not going to let them take him from us. We’ll figure something out.” Taeyong said. 

Sicheng led an obviously shaken up Yuta from the bridge and Taeyong turned to the rest of his senior crew. 

“Xuxi, run a diagnostic on that warbird. If they aren’t Klingon’s that ship might not be as well equipped as we thought.” 

Xuxi presses a few buttons, assessing the state of the ship. Though beat up, the shields were working and most torpedos dinged positive for payload. However, the cloaking mechanism was only partially intact, and one area of the ship seemed to have been stripped of armor and shields. The cargo bay area. 

“The shields are lowered in the cargo bay.” He commented, and threw an image of the ship up on the main screen. 

Further scanning revealed that was where the crew of the excursion vessel was being kept. 

“The crew could be beamed out by locking onto a comms unit.” Mark mentioned, but Donghyuck shot that down quickly.

“We’re too far out of range, so we can’t get any signal.”

“Besides, we can only beam about twenty at a time and there’s 150 crew on board. The Orions would catch on.” Taeil added. 

“What if we only had to beam out two people?” Ten tried. 

“What are you suggesting?” Taeyong asked, skeptical. 

“We make the trade, Yuta for the crew. But we give Yuta an enhanced communicator and beam him aboard while we’re at warp.” He explained.

“What’s to stop them from warping after us?” 

“Well, the ship is fairly old. The manual override would be simple to execute and their lithium cores ejected.” Xuxi explained, showing that part of the ship on the main screen. We just need someone with general knowledge of a warbird to go aboard with Yuta.” Xuxi explains.

And every eye on the bridge turn to look at Mark. 

“Mark? You up for it?” 

Xuxi stares between Mark and the captain because woah, he didn’t mean to send Mark! Literally, anyone but Mark. Xuxi rubbed his bracelet worriedly as Mark handed the pilot’s chair over to the next in line. 

“You go down to the science deck, get Doyoung to give you his comms unit. I’ll go talk to Yuta.” Taeyong commands and they leave the bridge with Johnny following.

Taeil steps up to the command chair, taking over as acting captain. It takes fifteen minutes for Yuta to calm down and agree to partake in the mission. By the time thirty minutes has passed, Taeil hails the Orions, agreeing to their terms. The send an emergency shuttle for Yuta and proceed to beam the excursion crew aboard the Empathy. All Xuxi can do is sit at his post and watch the little blinking light that represents Mark’s life on his screen.

Things are going smoothly for all of ten minutes. Then Mark makes his move to break away from their guards, easily giving them the slip while they focus on Yuta. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel bad about leaving Yuta alone like that, but if they had any chance of making it out of there, Mark had to disable their warp core. It would have been an easy run, if he hadn’t run into an Orion woman on his way to the engineering deck. 

“Fuck.” he whispered, backing away slowly.

“Mark, what’s going on? We can’t hang around too long, they’ll get suspicious.” Taeyong reminds him.

“Yeah, yeah, Just ran into a bit of a hiccup.” he mutters, standing off against the Orion. 

“A hiccup? I like to think I’m little more dangerous than that.” she says, smiling sweetly.

It starts with the smell. It’s cloying and sickly sweet, like rotting fruit, and clouds Mark’s senses. He shakes his head to try and clear it, but it’s not working so well. Fuck.

“Come now, be a good boy. Go back to where you’re supposed to be and let me deal with that little traitor in peace.” she said, griping Mark’s chin in her hands. 

“No, no.” Mark groaned, panting heavily.

But the more he inhaled, the stronger the effects became. His knees started to buckle and his vision was clouding. 

“Yes, that’s it. Submit.” she cooed.

“Y-Yes. M’am.” Mark found himself slurring, despite his efforts to fight back. But there was very little in the universe more potent than a female Orion’s pheromones. Very little indeed. 

It was just Mark’s luck though that one of those things happened to be on the deck of the USS Empathy, listening to this all go down. Xuxi snatched Taeyong’s comm link out of his ear, much to the anger of his captain. 

“Ensign Huang, what are you-” Taeyong started but Xuxi just ignored him in favor of talking to Mark.

“Mark? Can you hear me? I need you to focus on the sound of my voice.”

Back on the Klingon ship, Mark shook his head, something prodding him at the base of his skull.

“What?” he mumbled, eyesight still hazy.

“Mark, I know you can hear me. You need to focus so you can get Yuta and get off of that ship.” Xuxi implored.

“Right, right. The mission. Fuck.” Mark’s head was pounding as the sound of Xuxi’s voice washed away the effects of the Orion’s control.

“H-How are you resisting?” she wondered, releasing Mark’s face and falling back a step.

“Good, good. Yeah, focus on the mission. Get those lithium cores ejected.”

“Eject the lithium cores. Get Yuta, get back on the ship. Get back to you.” Mark murmured as the last of the Orion’s hold on him slipped away.

“Yeah, come back to us. Come back to me.” Xuxi said.

Mark stood up shakily. 

“I really don’t think I have time to deal with you.” He said to the Orion woman who was staring at him horrified. 

Mark pulled the hidden phaser from his boot, turned on the stun option, and shot her quickly. She crumpled to the floor and Mark stepped over her body to continue to the engineering deck. Once, he found the control panel, Ten was right. The manual override was easy to complete and a few button presses later, the warbird’s lithium cores were drifting out into space. Immediately, warning sirens started blaring and Mark buzzed the Empathy back on his comms link.

“Cores are ejected, I’m gonna go find Yuta now. You guys should punch it so you can circle back around to pick us up.” He confirms, turning to find the chief engineer. 

Taeyong takes his comms unit back from Xuxi, waving the Ensign back to his station. Xuxi returned, setting the looped course for their retreat.

“Captain, I’m not sure I can navigate a course this tight at warp.” The stand in pilot said and Taeyong sighed.

“Of course you’re not.” 

Back on the warbird, Mark had stunned three more of the Orion crew before finding Yuta, fending off four of them with a large staff. Mark quickly took out the other hostiles, sliding Yuta’s phaser back to him.

“Alright, let’s light up that comms unit and get out of here.” Mark sighs.

“Yeah, if I never see another Orion in my life time, it’ll be too soon.” Yuta seethed. 

“Taeyong, we’re ready when you are.” Mark buzzes.

“Officer, can you make the maneuver or not? If we don’t get close enough we will miss Lieutenant Nakamoto and Ensign Lee.” Taeyong says.

The interim pilot nods, but he looks nervous. Next to him, Xuxi growls.    
You had better be able to.” Xuxi pushes away from his post angrily and waves his replacement over, following Taeyong down to the transporters.

“Good work with Mark earlier. But I think you and I may need to have a talk once this mission concludes.” Taeyong says on the way and Xuxi just grumbles back. 

It’s looking like he has very little patience for Mark being in life threatening situations. When they get down to the transporter pads, they’re met with another dilemma.

“We have lock on Ensign Lee and Lieutenant Nakamoto, but there’s a third figure in range. If we beam them up, they come with us.” the lead transporter explains.

“Then they come with is, and we deal with them once they get here. Let’s get our boys home.” Taeyong says, sounding exhausted. 

The transporter room fills with whooshing noises and bright light as the transporter tech beams them aboard. Right on time it appears because the ‘third figure’ is in the process of lifting a large crate over his head, planning to crush the two StarFleet officers with it. If you ask Xuxi what happened next, he’ll say that he blacked out. What really happened is that his instincts took over and he threw himself at the Orion, tackling him to the ground. As if that wasn’t enough, he pulled his phaser, firing a stun shot point blank. 

“XUXI! Chill the fuck out you’re going to kill him!” Mark yells, pulling the Betazoid off of the unconscious Orion. 

Yuta slips away from the tussel, emotionally exhausted, slinking off to go find Yuta.

“He was going to kill you!” Xuxi shoots back but let’s Mark pull him away.

Xuxi is happy, relieved that Mark is okay, but furious that he ended up in a position that almost got him killed in the first place. 

“Why are you yelling at me?” Mark shoots back.

“Because you almost died!” Xuxi exclaims.

All the fight flows out of Mark and he deflates visibly. Xuxi calms down too at the solemn expression on Mark’s face.

“Look Xuxi, I don’t know where all of this is coming from but… I’m tired. You can yell at me in the morning.” Mark sighs, trudging down off of the transporter pad.

“Mark, wait. I didn’t-” Xuxi starts but Taeyong cuts him off. 

“Give him a little time okay? Come on, let’s talk.” 

Taeyong leads Xuxi up to the observation deck and gives him a cup of replicated hot chocolate. It sucks, but it’s warm and sweet so Xuxi can’t complain.

“So, Mark’s your soulmate?” Taeyong starts, causing Xuxi to choke on his drink.

“How did you- what?” Xuxi asks, surprised. 

“We suspected, after your graduation party when you looked at Mark like he hung the stars in the sky. But the thing on the warbird today confirmed it. There’s little in the universe stronger than an Orion’s hormones. Soul bonds are one of those things.” Taeyong explains.

“Yeah. He’s the one.” Xuxi sighs, watching the stars and planets zip by.

“Is that why you got so freaked out today?” Taeyong asks.

“Yeah, I guess. Wouldn’t you if your soulmate almost died?”

“Yeah, you’re right. But Xuxi you have to understand, out in Starfleet, he’s going to be in danger just about every day. It comes with the job. You gotta make peace with it.” Taeyong says and Xuxi sighs.

“I know, but it’s hard. I just want to wrap him in bubble wrap and hide him from the world.” Xuxi laughs into his mug.

“I understand. And I understand it takes time to work through feelings like that. So I suggest you use your shore leave to do that.” Taeyong says, standing up to return to the bridge.

“ Take the rest of the shift off. Your replacement can handle it. Maybe you can get Mark to talk to you.” Taeyong says and Xuxi nods in thanks.

“Oh, and Xuxi?”

“Yeah, Taeyong?”

“Don’t ever steal my comms link again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Orion women are known to pretend to be slaves and then trap males of their own species and human men in their thrall. It's insinuated here that Yuta used to 'belong' to the Orions that kidnapped the excursion crew. Xuxi is able to break the trance Mark is put under through a mix of telepathy, sheer will power, and true love.

**Author's Note:**

> Betazoids are a Star Trek alien species completely indistinguishable from humans except for the solid black irises of their eyes. Betazoids are empaths and telepaths of varying degrees. More on Betazoid culture and specifics as is becomes more relevant to the storyline.


End file.
